brain damage
by pipercool
Summary: Piper Story! completed with 14 chapters (please tell me what you think) - PS Piper_cool is now Prues_Clues
1. Brain Damage

STORY 2  
  
D: don't own em   
  
Note: story set when Piper going out with Dan (sorry). I am trying to be as accurate as I can with the disease  
  
It was morning in the Haliwell manor. Phoebe walked quietly down the hall, heading to Pipers room to check on her older sister. For the past couple of days Piper had caught a bad case of the flu. "Piper" Phoebe said softly as she opened her sisters door a crack, letting a thin beam of light enter the darkened room. "Mph" was the response from Piper who sat up in bed and opened her eyes. "Hey sweetie" Phoebe said brightly, opening the door further, letting more of the bright morning light shine into the room. "Arg! Light! Phoebe shut the door!" Piper exclaimed in an irritated voice, shielding her eyes. "Whoops, sorry Piper" Phoebe said, shutting the door quickly, moving to sit next to Piper on the bed. "So, how are you feeling this morning?" Phoebe asked, wrapping an arm around Piper, who rested her head on Phoebe's shoulder. "Well, I have a headache" she said, stifling a yawn "I'm stiff and I'm tired". Phoebe looked at the middle sister in concern, placing a hand on her forehead "and… you still have a fever! Ok I will be back in a sec, I am just going to get you a paracetamol and a washcloth to cool you down Ok sweetie" Phoebe said, jumping up and heading in the general direction of the bathroom. Piper let out a sigh, and lay back down on the bed, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head and the stiffness in her back and neck. A little while later, Prue entered the room carrying a tray with a cool washcloth, a glass of water and a couple of paracetamol on it. "Hey… youre not Phoebe… youre Prue" Piper said confused, sitting up, a frown on her face. Prue smiled at this as she set down the tray on the bedside table "no, I guess I'm not. Phoebe just noticed that she was late for school, she had to run. Looks like your stuck with me for the day kiddo." She said, propping pillows up behind her younger sister so that she could sit up. "Ok take these, they should help with the fever and the headache" she said, holding the glass of water out to Piper. Piper looked at the glass, confused for a moment, but then takes it, but almost immediately she drops it, water cascading over the bead spread, and splashing onto her pajamas. "Someone's not quite awake yet are they?" Prue said with a forced smile, grabbing a tissue from the box beside the bed and beginning to dab at the water, which seemed to be seeping into everything. Piper looked blankly at her sister, tilting her head to one side in confusion "what do you mean I'm not awake?" she asked, her voice inquisitive. "You just spilt the drink silly" Prue said, continuing with her futile attempt to soak up the water "jeez, I'm gonna have to get some paper towels for this" she muttered. "What drink… what spill?" Piper said, her voice now worried. At this, Prue's head snapped up, looks of worry and fear for her sister on her face. "Okay Piper, come with me, we are going straight to the doctor!" Prue said grabbing her younger sister's hand and basically pulling her out of bed. Piper takes a step, but as soon as she placed all her weight on her left leg, she fell to the ground, still clutching firmly to Prue's hand. "Piper!" Prue exclaimed kneeling on the ground beside her sister. "I'm okay, I'm okay, my leg's just fallen asleep" Piper said, trying to stand up again, but falling. "Scratch the doctor, were going straight to hospital" Prue said, mostly to herself, using her powers to lift Piper into the air and carried her quickly down the stairs. When they reached the front door she placed Piper back down again, and supported her weight as she moved her to the car. Half way their Piper began to struggle "I don't need to go to the hospital!" she said angrily. "Yes you do! Your sick!" Prue said, continuing to pull Piper towards the car. "But I'm wearing my pajamas! What if Dan sees" Piper said, continuing to struggle against her sister. "He will see you if you don't get in the car!" Prue said loudly, beginning to panic about the state her sister was in. Once they were finally in the car Piper struck up the argument again "Why do I have to go to the hos…" Piper trailed off, her eyes glazing over, her mouth dropping open slightly, here body beginning to convulse. "You still there" Prue said, turning away from the road to look at her sister. "Oh my god! Piper!" Prue exclaimed, her fear for her sister growing even further. "Piper!" she yelled, taking one hand off the wheel, grabbing her sisters shoulder and shaking her gently. The only response she got was a small and fearful whimper.   
  
§§§§  
  
"Hang in there Piper" Prue said, realising that she would be unable to help her sister, she hit the accelerator of the car, knowing that she needed to get Piper to the hospital urgently.   
Once she arrived, she hastily parked her car, jumping out of her seat and running around to Pipers (who was still convulsing violently) side of the car, opening the door and quickly unbuckling her seatbelt. Prue used her power to lift Piper up; placing her arms underneath her sister's arms and legs so it looked like she was carrying her, running her to the emergency room.   
The moment that Prue arrives in there with Piper she is immediately spotted by the doctor on duty, who runs over, followed by two orderlies wheeling a gurney (is that what the beds on wheels are called?), which Prue gently placed Piper on. "What happened?" The doctor asked, as they rushed Piper to the ER. "Well she has been sick with the flu for the last two days and this morning she seemed to be worse and she spilt water on herself and she did not know that it had spilt, and then forgot that she had a glass of water." Prue paused to take a quick breath. "Then, she got out of bed and fell down and she said that her leg had fallen asleep and she did not know why I was taking her to hospital and then she started convulsing in the car" Prue gushed out beginning to cry. "Ok thankyou" the doctor said, "we will take it from here, go to the nurses desk and she will give you forms which you need to fill in. We will inform you when anything happens," he said, pushing through the emergency doors, leaving the sobbing Prue behind.   
Once Prue had filled out the forms, she decided that she should call Phoebe and tell her what had happened. Standing up, she headed towards the pay phone, fishing money out of her pocket. Putting the money in the phone she dialed Phoebe's mobile, only to find that it was turned off. Cursing under her breath Prue reached for the telephone book underneath the phone, and looked up the colleges phone number, dialing it when she found it.   
  
Phoebe was sitting in class, writing a note to Piper  
  
Dear Pipe,  
Hi :) I'm in class and I'm bored so I have decided to write to you! You should be honored! Well anyway did I mention I was bored? So are there any cool bands going to be performing at p3 you haven't told me about. How are you and Dan going? I need detail sista! Why can't I have a super cute super nice guy in my life! I'm telling you Piper Halliwell, you are the luckiest women on earth! Well I am going to stop writing now (talk about a short letter, sorry Pipe!)… And decorate YAY!   
Bye   
Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of love from…  
  
PHEEBS   
  
Phoebe then proceeds to draw p3 symbols all over the page along with various other squiggles and symbols. "Phoebe Halliwell" the professors voice startles Phoebe, who jumps about a mile, her pen drawing a massive blue line through the letter and knocking several books off the table. A small ripple of laughter goes through the class. 'This is it' Phoebe thought 'he is going to humiliate me in front of the class… guaranteed'. Steeling herself for the worst, Phoebe answered "Yes" she said, trying to sound as calm as possible looking directly at the professor, whose face was grim. "There was a message sent to you from a Prue." He said his voice grave. Phoebe gulped, preparing herself for the rest. "She said that Piper was in San Francisco General Hospital, and that you are to go there immediately." He finished his eyes full of concern. A startled murmur rippled over the class, all eyes were on Phoebe. "Ok, thankyou" Phoebe said, hastily grabbing her books and running out of the classroom.   
  
Please leave feedback. Title suggestions are welcome :):) 


	2. Default Chapter Title

It seemed like an eternity to Phoebe before she reached the hospital. It seemed that every traffic light she came to was red, and it seemed to her that all the cars were travelling at least twenty kilometers under the speed limit. When she finally arrived, she quickly parked and ran into the waiting room, looking frantically for Prue. She quickly spotted her older sister sitting in the far corner, her head buried in her hands. "Prue! What's happened?" Phoebe asked breathlessly, running over to her sister. Prue looked up at her little sister, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "What's happened to Piper?" Phoebe repeated the question, sitting down next to her older sister, and pulling her into a hug. "Well it started this morning when I handed her a glass of water" Prue started, pausing to compose herself. "Go on" Phoebe urged gently. "Well she dropped it. I didn't think there was a problem then but she did not even notice that it had spilt on her, and also did not know what I was talking about. Then she stood up and when she took a step she fell over, and could not put any pressure on her leg" Prue said, her voice beginning to shake "and then in the car she started convulsing" Prue was unable to say any more for she burst into tears. By then, Phoebe had begun to cry as well, hugging her older sister tighter and rocking her gently.   
  
It had been hours since Phoebe had arrived and they still had not heard from anyone about Pipers condition, even though they had interrogated the nurse on duty several times. Prue and Phoebe were both asleep, resting comfortably against eachother. Phoebe was holding tightly a beautiful plush grey toy cat, which the two sisters had picked out for Piper while they were waiting. "Miss. Halliwell?" a mans voice said, waking both Prue and Phoebe. "Yes" Prue, said, still not quite awake yet. The doctor paused for a minute, waiting for the pair to fully wake up. Once he was sure they were both fully awake he began to talk. "After performing a few tests on your sister we have determined that she has a fairly severe case of encephalitis."  



	3. Default Chapter Title

"What's encephalitis?" Phoebe asked, fearing the worst. "It is an inflammation of the brain, caused by the bodies attempt to mount a response to the infection." The doctor elaborated his voice devoid of emotion. "The acute phase of the disease will last for one to two weeks, but neurological symptoms may require months before full recovery, and some may even be permanent." At this point, Phoebe dissolved into tears again, burying her head in Prue's shoulder. Prue wrapped her arms around her little sister; she was on the verge of tears as well. "She has been put on corticosteroids to reduce the brain swelling and inflammation, as well as an antiviral medication and anticonvulsants to help prevent seizures. It is fortunate that you brought Piper to hospital immediately, for she may have died." The doctor finished. "Can we see her?" Prue asks, a slight tremor in her voice. "Yes you can, but she probably wont recognize you, and will become easily confused if you try to ask her questions or bombard her with information. Also you can't stay for long. Come this way," the doctor said, motioning for the sisters to follow him.   
  
After walking down several long corridors, they finally reached Pipers room. "In there" the doctor said pointing to Pipers room, and turning and walking off back down the hall. Taking a deep breath, Prue grabbed hold of Phoebe's hand, squeezing it reassuringly, headed into the room.   
There were four nurses buzzing around Piper.  
  
As they entered the white, starched chamber that served as Piper's room, they stood stock still in horror. Piper seemed so small, so pale against the white linen bedsheets and blue hospital robe. She was surrounded by a sea of electrical lights and machines, all beeping and flashing. Out of her body protruded various tubes, monitoring her. Her skin is slick with sweat, and clumps of dried vomit are evident on the hospital robe and in her hair. "Prihbe? Pryhiue?" She said weakly, her body seeming to spasm in pain as she did so, hands clutching at her head and her eyes squeezing tight shut in pain. She said something, seeming to cry out to her sisters, but it was a garbled monotone of desperate words that they could not understand. Suddenly, Piper's body began to convulse again, several machines going crazy, lights flashing on and off, accompanied by loud alarms. Just as suddenly as all the alarms go off, three people burst into the room, two moving to grab the convulsing Piper to hold her still, whilst the other injects something into Pipers arm. Prue and Phoebe stood back in the corner, now hugging eachother tightly, both sobbing, looking on helplessly.   
  
Well… tell me what you think of that part.   



	4. Default Chapter Title

Heres the next part.... pweeeze leave feedback... i think i got the paragraph thing down now as well  
  
Only seconds after Piper was injected she stopped convulsing, but fearful tears still flowed freely down her face, accompanied by choked sobs. "Prihbe? Pryhiue?" She said again. "Prihbe? Pryhiue?" she repeated this time much louder, unaware that her sisters were standing in the corner.   
  
A nurse came up to Prue and Phoebe, who were still in shock after watching their sister go through such a violent seizure. "Are you Prue and Phoebe?" The nurse asked.   
  
"Yes… huh?" they answered in unison. The nurse smiled at their confusion - they obviously did not know how she knew their names.   
  
"Since she came in here, she has been continually asking for you. What she is saying may sound garbled now, but it was pretty clear when she first started asking." The nurse said. "You three must be really close."   
  
"Yes, we are" Phoebe said, managing half a smile for the cheerful nurse.  
  
"Maybe you should try and talk to her… comfort her. She may not register that you are here, but it's worth a try. Anything to calm her down - she's very scared, and I don't blame her. What she is going through must be horrible for her", the nurse said, stepping aside to let Prue and Phoebe go to their sister. Prue smiled at the nurse, grabbing Phoebe's hand and heading over to the middle sister's bed.   
  
"Hey little sister" Prue said, taking a seat next to the bed. Piper continued to stare blankly at the ceiling, but seemed to have stopped saying their names over and over again. She was still crying.   
  
"Hey Pipe! We got something for you!" Phoebe said, getting the plush cat that they had brought and gently lifting Pipers arm, slipping the toy underneath it. Prue leaned over and gently began to stroke her sisters hair, whilst Phoebe took her hand. This seemed to relax her, and although she still stared blankly at the ceiling, she has stopped crying.   
  
Dear Diary,   
  
Yesterday we found out what caused it. It was Kit! She scratched Piper when she tried to rescue that stupid, horrible animal from behind the washing machine! Well it wouldn't be alive if Phoebe hadn't intervened! I mean I understand that it wasn't Kit's fault, but look at what she has done to my sister. Why couldn't I have volunteered to rescue kit?!  
  
It has been just over a week since I first took Piper to hospital. So far there has been no improvement in her condition, but Doctor Lawrence said that most patients would experience a very sudden and rapid recovery. I guess that's a good thing; it's only a matter of time before Piper gets better, and she will get better. I just want my little sister well again. This must be so scary for her. She wants to be out of this place. I hate to see her struggling to put out single syllable responses, which make no sense… it cuts me in half every time I see it. In many ways she's just like a child who can't move or speak properly - mouth wide open and eyes searching the room furtively for things imaginary and concrete . It's as if her memories have been shuffled around, and thoughts from yesterday, childhood, today etc, are coming up at random and are all scrambled.  
  
Well Phoebe and me have started regularly caring for Piper, and there is always one of us there 24/7. I am almost frightened to leave her alone…she seems so small in that big hospital-bed. We have to be there so that someone is there in case she has a seizure, for if she is on her back she could choke and cause permanent brain damage or she could even die! The multiple seizures leave her in an unresponsive state that's a mixture of confusion and bewilderment, at times going back to her childhood and other times remaining completely oblivious to everything and everyone around her. It's so scary.   
  
Too many people can be more bad for Piper than good, but still there is a constant parade of doctors and nurse. They take her temperature, adjusting the intravenous needles, and perform other tests on her. This scares and confuses Piper a lot. When she was first admitted she was given a feeding tube. It was a constant struggle to keep her from removing this, which drained her energy as well as Phoebe, and me who were trying to control her at the time. Her arms were put in restraints, but by contortionistic movements she was able to get in reach of the tube. She seemed to want to go to any length to remove it. I hate seeing her like this. I hate it, I hate it! She has fought so much with it that they have had to take it out!! It also impaired her speech, making her gag…so they were more willing to take it out and use a different method to feed her.   
  
Doctor Lawrence also told us the potential long-term effects caused by brain damage. She could have any number of problems such as a speech problem, a memory problem or a physical disability. And that is only listing a few! He also told us that she could have more than one of these! Or all of them! And some may be permanent! It all depends on the extent and the location of the brain damage. God, why did this have to happen to her?   
  
Dan has not reacted very well to this at all…I hate him. At first he understood… then we told him about the potential long-term effects. I don't think he likes the idea of his girlfriend having a speaking problem, a memory problem or even a mobility problem… bastard! What a prick! And when he went to visit, Piper started crying - she obviously didn't know whom this man was who came up and stroked her hair and kissed her on the forehead… I mean, she is so confused at the moment! He just stormed out! That man has no patience! When this is all over I think that I am going to have to kill him! Possibly literally…  
  
Well I better go now it's Piper's mealtime! Phoebe's calling me!   
  
Prue H   
  
§§§§  
  
"Come on Prue! Your sisters starving here! " Phoebe said, hopping around impatiently  
  
"Coming!" Prue yelled back, concealing her diary and quickly grabbing one of the little cartons, resembling a poppa, which contained Pipers food. They seemed to supply everything from a drink of water, to a full meal - liquid of course, Piper could not manage solid foods.   
  
Prue hurried into Piper's room. Phoebe had already propped Piper by sitting behind her. She took a seat beside her sister on the bed. Holding the carton to Pipers mouth, tilting it slightly so that Piper could drink from it. Some of the liquid dribbled down her chin, but Phoebe mopped it up quickly with a napkin that she was holding, already prepared for this to happen.   
  
"There we are Piper" Prue said once Piper had emptied the carton, setting it aside and lowering her sister back down onto the bed. Both Prue and Phoebe took a seat on one side of the bed, Phoebe taking one of Pipers hand, sitting in silence, not attempting conversation for it would only confuse Piper more than she already was.   
  
"Hi" Piper said in a low voice, startling Prue and Phoebe, who stared at their sister mouths wide open, at a loss for words. Piper reached up to Phoebe, who was closest to her hand, and began to stroke her hair. At this point both Prue and Phoebe began to cry happily, for this was the first tiny step that Piper had taken towards the long road of recovery. Their sister would become well again.   
  
TO BE CONTINUED dont forget the feedback! 


	5. Default Chapter Title

§§§§  
  
"Pipe… are you sure you don't want to go back to your room now?" Phoebe said, a twinge of worry in her voice. Piper had "led" her sisters around her particular hospital level, going around every centimeter time and time again, seemingly unaware of the repetitiveness of her outing. It was the first time since she had been at the hospital that she had been allowed out of her room for a walk and she was exploring and full of energy.   
"Nnnnnn" Piper said happily, not noticing that her sisters were trying very hard to tolerate her continual antics.   
"Okay, if that's what you want sweetie" Prue said, grasping the hard metal of the IV stand tightly. She had been given the job of wheeling the IV stand behind Piper so that it didn't fall over, whilst Phoebe walked beside the middle sister. At first she had led Piper, holding her hand, but now it was Piper who was leading Phoebe.   
Piper walked happily toward the elevator hall, and unexpectedly pushed the down button. When the ding indicated the appropriate descending elevator, she stepped inside. Prue and Phoebe followed, amazed that she had actually entered. She pushed the "E" button, the same area where she had had several scans and tests, but when the door opened on the floor, she went in the opposite direction of the testing areas. After walking down a long corridor, she tentatively approached an exit. She walked to the door and reached toward it. The automatic door slid open before she could push it. Strangely enough, this was the same way she had first entered the hospital, the Emergency Room. There was a park bench near to the entrance. Piper obviously intended to continue in her journey, pushing forward boldly, but Prue quickly grabbed her before she could walk onto the road, sitting her down on the bench. Both Prue and Phoebe sat on either side of their sister, the small bench bathed in early morning sunlight.  
"A live yes" Piper said the words not coming out quite right. Frowning, she tried again "Aye liv ewe" this time she burst into tears. "I-love-you? Is that what you are trying to say, sweetie," Phoebe asked, her eyes brimming with tears and her left hand drawing Piper into a hug.  
  
"No Piper, don't cry, your doing really, really well, honey" Prue said, wrapping her arm around Piper.  
  
"Yeah Pipe! Really well" Phoebe echoed, tears still threatening to spill over as she also wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders.  
  
Almost as quickly as Piper's tears had appeared they dried up again. She grinned happily, obviously having forgotten what had just happened, and wrapped her arms around Prue in a big bear hug, after a while unlatching herself from her older sister and repeating the same process on Phoebe. She had gotten into a habit of hugging everyone and everything in sight, even books and Prue's camera case.   
  
"Okay honey, lets go back to your room now, ok?" Phoebe said, trying to wriggle her way out of the death grip Piper had her in.   
  
"She thinks that's fine" Piper said with a smile, even though what she said made no sense. She stood up hurriedly and dashed back towards the entrance, Prue and Phoebe running and calling after her.   
§§§§  
  
"Who?" Piper said, picking up a picture of Dan, put beside her bed, among other photos of the sisters together.   
  
"That's your boyfriend, Dan" Prue said, leaning over her sisters shoulder from her sitting position on the bed. Piper pulled a disgusted face, causing both of her sisters to start laughing.  
  
"When did that happen?" Piper asked innocently, again her words jumbling up, meaning to say how long have they been going out?   
  
"That, happened about two and a half months ago" Phoebe said, amusement plain in her voice, causing Prue to let out a snort of laughter.   
  
"Silly hairy!" Piper said in a skeptical voice, pointing to Dan's hair, causing even more laughter from her sister. "Will he go away?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Hopefully!" Prue said   
  
"Prue!" Phoebe playfully scolded her sister.  
  
"Who's that?" Piper asked, pointing to the picture of Dan again   
  
To be continued?  



	6. Default Chapter Title

Sorry it took so long 2 post this part :(:(  
  
"Open" the therapist said, whilst holding up one hand and opening it. Piper looked at him, head tilted to the side in confusion.   
  
"Yes" She said, not understanding what the therapist wanted her to do.   
  
"Open" The therapist repeated, this time opening Pipers hand. "Close" She said, now closing Pipers hand. "Open" the therapist, said again, this time not holding onto Pipers hand. Piper responded by very slowly opening her hand. "Yes, that's it" The therapist encouraged. "Close" he said, Piper responding by closing her hand, a big smile on her face. "Way to go Piper!" The therapist exclaimed. Pipers smile grew into a grin as she flung her arms around the therapist in a big hug.   
  
"Hey Justin, how's Piper doing" Prue said, as she entered the room, followed by a smiling Phoebe, carrying a tray of food.   
  
"Leo!" Piper responded happily before Justin could get a word in. Both Prue and Phoebe exchanged knowing glances.   
  
"She's doing really well today actually, she did some writing today as well as some reading" He said, carefully trying to remove himself from one of Pipers bear hugs "It's the best session I have ever had with her".   
  
"That's great!" Phoebe exclaimed, "Do you think that I could give her a letter I wrote to her just before she became sick" Phoebe asked hopefully, setting the food tray down next to the bed.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so, she may not understand it but I'm sure she'd love to have a read. But not right now, she is sick of reading for the moment" He said warmly, knowing that both Prue and Phoebe had a way of getting through to Piper.   
  
"Phoebe likes to sometimes write spells, but mistakes she makes" Piper said out of the blue, stunning both Prue and Phoebe.  
  
"I don't think she meant that" Phoebe said quickly, trying to cover up what Piper just said  
  
"She probably trying to say that sometimes Phoebe makes spelling mistakes!" Prue said quickly, resulting in a hard smack from Phoebe.   
  
"Yeah" Justin said, confused at the reaction "well I must be going now, bye Piper" he said dismissing what had just happened.   
  
"Wendigo" Piper said gravely as he left, moving to follow him out.  
  
"Where do you think youre going?" Prue said, quickly grabbing Piper before she could reach the door  
  
"Home" Piper said, trying to pull away from Prue.   
  
"No honey, you have to stay here," Phoebe said, coming up and stroking her sister's hair   
  
"Home" Piper repeated her eyes beginning to fill with tears.  
  
"Shh honey, I'm sorry you can't come home, I wish you could to." Prue said, hugging Piper, tightly, tears also beginning to form in her eyes. The last few months had been a very trying time for all of them, and all that Prue and Phoebe wanted was for their sister to be home and happy again. Christmas was also coming up, and Piper had mentioned this on several occasions, and they wanted her to be home to celebrate her favorite holiday.   
  
"So, time for lunch" Phoebe said brightly once Piper had stopped crying. Taking her sisters hand she led her to the small table in the corner of the room.   
  
"Here you go! One hospital lunch! Enjoy" Phoebe, said, placing the tray in front of Piper once the three sisters were comfortably seated.   
  
"Yours" Piper said, pushing it back to Phoebe  
  
"No Piper its not mine" Phoebe said, pushing the plate back to her sister  
  
"Yours" Piper said, this time pushing it to Prue  
  
"No, its yours Piper" Prue said with a smile, pushing it firmly back to her sister, who this time relented, taking the spoon and dipping it in the soup.   
  
"Eat?" Piper asked holding the spoon towards her sisters   
  
"No thanks" Prue and Phoebe said in unison, neither of them too keen on hospital food.   
  
"Uniform yours" Piper said in her normal ambiguous way.  
  
"Piper, you remember Dan… your boyfriend" Prue said once Piper had finish eating   
  
"Absolutely not" Piper responded   
  
"That's him there," Phoebe said, putting the photo of Dan in front of Piper for her inspection.   
  
"Ah! Silly hairy man" Piper said proudly, a big smile on her face  
  
"Yes silly hairy man!" Phoebe said with a laugh "well he is coming to visit." Pipers smile turned into a frown.  
  
"Here?" she asked worriedly.   
  
"Yes here honey, he really wants to visit you again" Prue said, obviously amused with Pipers reaction. At this Piper stood up again and headed to the door.   
  
§§§§   
  
"Hey Piper" Phoebe greeted her older sister happily. Sitting up and rubbing her tired eyes, Piper tried to focus on the person greeting her. It was only early in the morning and Phoebe waited till she was sure that her sister was fully awake and focused on her before she began her announcement. Once she was sure her sister was listening she continued. "Dan's here" She said holding up the photo again.   
  
"Dan's here" Piper echoed thoughtfully, examining the picture carefully, her eyes screwing up as she held the photo close to her face.  
  
"Remember yesterday i told you he was coming to visit?" Phoebe reminded her older sister gently.   
  
Piper frowned, obviously trying to remember. After a while she responded. "Yes" She said happily, but her smile quickly turned back into a frown. "No want see," she said loudly, folding her arms over her chest in a sign of defiance.  
  
"Shh, he's just outside, you dont wan' him to get mad" Phoebe warned, hoping to prevent world war 3.   
  
"She doesn't want to see him," Piper said cryptically.   
  
"Okayyyyy. Well what if you see him and are polite to him and afterwards we will take you for a walk around the hospital, and maybe we can have ice cream. Does that sound OK to you?"   
  
Piper was silent for a moment as she slowly processed and considered Phoebes proposal. "Yus... Ice cream.... Yus" She said, a big smile on her face  
  
"Okay i will just get him" Phoebe said, letting out a small sigh of relief, not knowing what she would have done if Piper had refused.   
  
Striding out into the corridor Phoebe spied damn sitting   
by  
a table of magazines and frowning intensely at a copy in one hand, holding a coke can in the other. "Um Dan?" Phoebe said, heading toward the hunched figure.   
  
"Oh god - Phoebe" Dan said, standing up hurriedly and tossing the magazine back onto the table. "Is she umm... i mean is Piper ready to umm...?"   
  
"Yeah, she's ready" Phoebe replied leading Dan into Pipers hospital room.  
  
"Now what did I tell you a little earlier?" Phoebe said to Dan once they reached the door   
  
"Don't ask her too many questions at once, for she will get confused, and she will take a while to process each question " Dan said rolling his eyes.   
  
"Ok after you" she said, stepping back to allow Dan to enter.   
  
"Here" Dan said, shoving the empty coke can he was holding into Phoebe's hand. Phoebe sighed and followed him in, taking a seat at the table in the corner of the room.   
  
"Hey…. Piper…. Um, how… How're you feeling?" Dan asked in a strained voice, taking a seat next to Piper's bed and gripping the chair tightly. There was no response from Piper and she burrowed down until only her eyes were visible above the hospital blankets and glowered sulkily at Dan. Phoebe attempted a strained cough, but was unable to break the tension that was building in the room. The coke can she was holding buckled slightly as she gripped it tightly, wishing that it were Dan she could sit on it and squash it.  
  
Piper looks at Dan, but does not respond.  
  
"How are you today" Dan repeated, a little louder.   
  
Piper still doesn't respond.   
  
"Piper can you hear me?" Dan asked, his voice rising and his frustration showing clearly. Phoebe's grip tightened even further, crushing the can.   
  
"Where's my angel?" Piper said after this awkward pause, scanning the room frantically. Both Phoebe and Dan's mouth dropped open.   
  
"Who's your angel… Is it Leo?" Dan yelled, his face beginning to redden.  
  
"Umm, maybe you should go now!" Phoebe said quickly, grabbing Dan by the shoulders and practically shoving him out the door.  
  
To Be Continued! Please leave feedback 


	7. Default Chapter Title

  
As soon as Dan was out the door Phoebe turned and hurried over Piper, who was on the verge of tears, frantically fiddling with her fingers. "Hey Piper don't cry, he's gone now, Dan's gone." Phoebe said, pulling her older sister into a hug, stroking her hair gently in an attempt to calm down her distraught sibling.  
  
"I negative expect to create him deranged" Piper said, beginning to cry.   
  
"No, no Piper it's not your fault that Dan is deranged" Phoebe said, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.   
  
"Hey Pi…" Prue said as she entered the room, her words trailing off as she saw Piper sobbing into Phoebe's shoulder. Hurrying over, she joined Phoebe, wrapping her arms around Piper. "Let me guess… Dan came to visit" Prue said sarcastically.   
  
"How'd you guess?" Phoebe said just as sarcastically.  
  
"Go home, Go home" Piper sobbed   
  
"I'm sorry honey, you can't go home until the doctors say so", Prue said, hugging Piper more tightly.   
  
"Hey Piper, lets go on that walk I promised you" Phoebe said, hopping off the bed and taking Piper's hand.  
  
"She doesn't wanna" Piper said in a soft voice.   
  
"Ok then, I wrote you a letter a little while ago, I have it here, would you like to read it?" Phoebe asked after a moment of thought.  
  
"Yes" Piper, said happily after a long pause.   
  
"Ok I will just get it" Phoebe said going over to her bag and digging through it. "Here it is… sorry I kind of drew a big pen line through it." She said handing the letter over to Piper who took it and began to examine it, and began to examine it, her hand tracing over the various symbols drawn all over the page.   
  
"Pretty" Piper said, turning to look at Phoebe, who smiled, climbing back onto the bed to sit next to her sister. Turning her attention back to the letter, Piper began to read it quietly, Prue reading over her shoulder.   
  
"Sorry is this a bad time?" a doctor said, startling Prue and Phoebe whilst Piper ignored the visitor and continued reading.  
  
"No, No its not" Prue said, both sisters smiling at the doctor.  
  
"Well could I speak to one or both of you for a moment please"   
  
"Yeah sure, Phoebe you can stay with Piper" Prue said, standing up and walking over to the doctor, who ushered her out the door.  
  
The two remaining sisters sat in silence as Piper slowly read the letter, obviously having a bit of trouble processing it.   
  
"Do you need any help?" Phoebe asked, reaching out to stroke her sister's hair.   
  
"Finished now" Piper said, giving Phoebe a big bear hug "ought reply!"   
  
Phoebe was just about to respond when Prue burst into the room with a big smile on her face. "Piper can come home next week!" she exclaimed.   
  
"Oh my god that's great" Phoebe practically screamed, jumping up and hugging Piper, then running over to Prue doing the same, whilst Piper just sat there grinning wildly.   
  
TBC, and please please please please please leave feedback :):):):)   



	8. Default Chapter Title

  
"Hey Pipe, you all ready to go home?" Prue asked as she walked into the room. Piper's progress in the last week had been amazing, She was responding to questions quicker, her speech was improving, and she was beginning to string words together so that finally she could be understood more easily. The news that she was going home had obviously heightened her spirits.   
  
"Lets go" Piper said brightly, hopping off the bed, and heading over to the door. Prue smiled at the eagerness of their sister and understood her enthusiasm to leave. She had been in hospital for twelve weeks so far and had experienced much trauma and pain, as had they all. They were now just happy to soon be having her home. "Where?" Piper asked once they were out in the hallway, not sure which way to go, since she had not actually been out of the hospital that often.   
  
"To the lifts" Prue said, pointing, seeing that her sister had forgotten the way, smiling as Piper trotted off in front of them in the vague direction of the lifts.  
  
Once they reached the lifts, Piper quickly hit the down button. Her happy face turned into a frown a few moments later. "We are going down… aren't we?" She said worriedly.   
  
"Yes we are, don't fret honey" Prue said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around Piper's waist. Piper's frown relaxed as she rested her head against Prue's shoulder.  
  
The lift dinged and the sisters stepped in, Piper gazing all around her until the lift stopped and they reached the car park level. Once the lift reached the Parking level, Piper hung back, unsure of where to go next. Noticing Pipers hesitation, Prue took her sisters hand and lead her to the car.   
  
The car drive home was in silence, as Piper was too absorbed in looking out the window at the passing sights, her mind seemingly captivated with the every day things that surrounded her.  
  
"Prescott street!" Piper exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the street sign.  
  
"Yes, that's right" Prue said with a smile, as she turned the car into Prescott street   
  
"Our house!" Piper said, her excitement growing.   
  
"Yep, that's our house!" Prue said, driving the car into the driveway. The minute Prue turned off the engine Piper quickly hopped out of the car and practically bounded up the stairs to the front door, Prue following her.   
  
"Welcome home Piper!" Phoebe said as she flung open the front door. Grinning wildly, Piper flung her arms around Phoebe as if she hadn't seen her in months. A few minutes later Piper let go and all the sisters walked inside the house smiling.   
  
Before they has reached the kitchen, a blur of fur came dashing up as Kit dashed up to Piper, rubbing herself up against Piper's legs, purring loudly. "Kit" Piper said happily, bending down and picking up the cat, stroking its fur, its purrs growing even louder as it rubbed it's head against her chin. Suddenly, Prue snatched the cat out of Piper's arms. "Kit" Piper said, an upset look crossing her face, reaching out to reclaim the cat from Prue. Prue just pulled it further away from her sister.   
  
"Piper! Please! We don't want you touching Kit again, ok sweetie? Kit has been a very bad cat…" Phoebe said, taking kit from Prue tears welling up in her eyes as she went to the door and placed Kit outside.  
  
"Come on, let's get you something to eat honey" Prue said, leading a confused and upset Piper into the kitchen.   
  
"Kit" Piper sniffed, looking back over her shoulder to where she could Kit peeking though the window where she had climbed onto the ledge. "Don't worry, I'll pat you later", she reassured the outline of the cat.   



	9. Default Chapter Title

"Piper…sweetie...no!" Prue said with a hint of irritation in her voice, using her powers to move kit away from her determined little sister. It had been only a few hours since Piper had come home and Prue had devoted almost all her time to attempting to keep Kit away from the fiercely persistent Piper. Piper frowned in annoyance, attempting to chase the now airborne and loudly meowing cat, but was stopped by Phoebe, who wrapped her arms around the middle sister's waist, allowing Prue to escape outside with Kit in her arms. Once kit was outside again, Phoebe let go of her older sister, who made a beeline to the windowsill, where kit was sitting, meowing pitifully. Coming back through the door and shutting it quickly behind her, Prue saw her sister sitting near the windowsill with her hand up against the glass, staring sadly at Kit. She sat down next to her sister and put an arm around her shoulders.   
  
"What did kit do?" Piper asked innocently, patting the glass where kit was sitting, the cat purring and rubbing up against the imprint her hand had made.  
  
"Kit was the one who made you sick, honey… she scratched you. It was the scratch that got infected and made you very, very sick. We were so scared" Prue explained gently  
  
"But Kit didn't mean to do it…" Piper said after a moments thought.  
  
  
"We know Pipe, it's just that we don't like to see you like that, and we don't want it to happen again." Phoebe said, coming up behind Piper, wrapping her arms around the middle sister from behind. "Anyway, you can play with kit from here"  
  
The sisters sat in silence for a moment, savoring each other's company, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. "I'll get it" Piper cried happily, making a dash for the door, her sisters in hot pursuit.   
  
Piper flung open the door, a big smile on her face. Her smile quickly faded when she realised who was on the other side… Dan.   
  
"Hey Piper… I brought you some flowers," Dan said, holding out a bunch of daisies to her. Piper turned and ran back into the house.   
  
"I think she's still afraid of you" Prue said softly "What do you want?"   
  
"I… I want to apologise" Dan said, glancing at Phoebe who was staring accusingly at him. "I did some research on encephalitis and I… I want to help."   
  
"Excuse us for a second" Prue said shutting the door in Dan's face.   
  
"Is he for real?" Phoebe said, the expression on her face softening  
  
"Maybe we should give him a chance, he is Pipers boyfriend anyway" Prue said.  
"Yeah, he wants to help right?" Phoebe said   
  
"Right" Prue confirmed   
  
"Well why doesn't he look after her tomorrow, for she was just going to go to work with you, and that would be boring for her?" Phoebe said  
  
"Good idea Pheebs… do you think Piper would mind" Prue asked   
  
"Well, she might be a bit unsure about it, but if he really wants to help then I think we should let him. And if he upsets her, I will do something that I will probably regret later!" Phoebe said, a hint of triumph in her voice. "He can be so pig headed sometimes!"  
  
"Alright, lets ask him" Prue sighed, opening the door.  
  
"Okay, here's the deal" Phoebe said to Dan, "If you want to help, how about you take care of Piper for us tomorrow. Either that or she goes to work with Prue"  
  
"Uh ok then" Dan replied.   
  
"Great" Prue said with a forced smile "come at nine. Pheebs should be back at four, Ill give those to Piper for you" she said, taking the flowers from Dan's hands and shutting the door quickly.  
  
"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Prue asked, looking worriedly at her sister.  
  
"I don't know Prue…I really don't know. There's no knowing with Dan." Phoebe said, heading back into the house.   
  
"Piper" Prue called, "Piper where are… oh, what are you doing down there, honey?" she said, noticing her sister who was hiding behind the sofa.   
  
"Hiding from Daniel" Piper said quietly "is he gone?" she asked after a pause.   
  
"Yes, he is" Phoebe said, hoisting her sister up from her sitting position, and leading her over to the other side of the couch to sit on it. All the sisters sat down, Piper in the middle.  
  
"Do you want to know what Dan wanted, Piper?" Prue asked, once they were comfortably seated   
  
"No" Piper said   
  
"He wanted to say sorry, Piper, and he sounded sincere. He's really sorry." Phoebe said, ignoring Piper's last statement. Piper just stared at her sister, her head tilted to the side quizzically.   
  
  
"He brought you flowers," Prue said hopefully, holding the flowers up to Piper. She was beginning to think that inviting Dan to look after Piper wasn't such a brilliant idea. Piper took the flowers, and began to inspect them carefully.   
  
"He also wanted to help out… so he is going to be looking after you tomorrow… so you don't have to come to work with me" Prue said. Piper dropped the daisies, and looked at her sister wide eyed.   
  
  
To Be continued! Please leave feedback so i know what you think! 


	10. Default Chapter

"Dan's here! Dan' here!" Piper yelled, scooting back up to her room and peering cautiously out from behind the door. It had taken a while to convince her that Dan only had good intentions, but she still was not sure about the idea.   
  
"Try to be nice, Piper…he is doing this for you" Prue said, hurrying towards the door. "Dan…hi" She said, opening the door for Dan. "Um…yeah so Piper is still a bit temperamental, so…"  
  
"Yeah, I figured that", Dan replied, staring up the stairs to where Piper's head had, upon seeing him, whisked back inside her door.   
  
"Ooh, flowers! Are those for Piper", Phoebe said, coming into the hallway. "Yeah…I thought she would like some…at least I think…"   
  
"Oh I'm sure she will love them" Phoebe said brightly "Once she comes down to see them" She said, in a pointedly loud voice, ensuring that her peeking sister would overhear.   
  
There was a silence as each of them waited for Piper to appear.  
  
"Hey Piper, come on down honey, Dan's here, and he brings flowers." Prue said, at the same time checking her watch.   
  
After another few moments of awkward silence, Phoebe spoke up "Hang on, I'll just get her… she's probably just being a bit shy and stubborn today…it happens a lot lately." She said, dashing up the stairs to Pipers room, only to collide with her sister in the hallway. "Oh there you are Piper! Better go down now." She said, taking her sisters hand and turning to lead her downstairs.   
  
"Phoebe" Piper said quietly   
  
"Yeah, what is it?" Phoebe asked, turning to her sister.   
  
"Will he help me write the letter?"  
  
Phoebe frowned for a moment "What let…oh yeah he will help you" she said, remembering that Piper had her heart set on writing a reply to the letter she had received from the hospital. Piper smiled in relief. "Now come on downstairs… and don't forget to be nice… and smile" She said, giving Piper a little encouraging nudge in the general direction of Dan.  
  
"Hey Piper," Dan said when he saw his girlfriend coming down the stairs accompanied by her younger sister.   
  
"Hi Daniel" Piper said, forcing a smile   
  
"Okay well me and Phoebe have to go, so remember I will be back around midday and Phoebe will be back by two, in case I can't make it. Also, Piper hasn't had breakfast yet, so that's up to you." Prue said, kissing her sister on the cheek "Bye sweetie." She said, hugging her, Phoebe doing the same.   
  
"Dan…um, she wants you to help her write a letter, ok, so don't forget " Phoebe said, as she was dragged out the door by Prue, leaving Dan and Piper alone.   
  
"I… I brought you flowers." Dan asked after an awkward silence, holding out the bouquet of flowers to her.   
  
"Thank you" Piper said taking the flowers, and setting them down on the stairs.   
  
"So… do you want breakfast now?"  
  
"Uh huh" Piper said, turning and heading to the kitchen, Dan following after her.   
  
"What do you want?" Dan asked once they were in the kitchen   
  
"Rice Krispies Please" She said, taking a seat at the table   
  
"Ok then" Dan said, going through the cupboards until he found the packet of Rice Krispies and the milk. "Here you go." he said, once he was done, placing the bowl in front of Piper and handing her the spoon.  
  
"Thank you" Piper said starting to eat her cereal, deliberately chewing each individual piece extremely slowly and never taking her eyes off Dan.   
  
***  
  
"Are you finished now?" Dan asked after about half an hour of Piper chasing her Rice Krispies around the bowl   
  
"Uh huh" Piper responded reluctantly, pushing the bowl over to Dan who took it and placed it in the sink.   
  
"The weather has been horrible lately." Dan commented, trying to make conversation.  
  
"I like the rain." Piper replied, staring at Dan sullenly. Another awkward silence ensued and Piper continued her awkward stare.  
  
"So… umm… do you want to write that letter now?" Dan said in a strained voice, attempting to break the icy silence which had settled over the table.  
  
"Okay" Piper said, her expression instantly brightening as she dashed up to her bedroom, racing back down again a few minutes later with a pad of paper and a pen. Placing her materials down on the table, she immediately began to write. After a few of seconds she stopped, looking up at Dan, her brown crinkling in a confused frown. "Umm… how do you spell Phoebe?" she asked timidly.   
  
"P …- h - o… - e - b - e" Dan spelt out slowly   
  
"Thanks" Piper said, going back to writing the letter. After a couple of minutes she let out a sigh, scrunching up the paper and throwing it onto the floor, getting out a fresh piece of paper and commencing writing once again. After only a few minutes of this she stopped writing once more and frowned angrily then looked up at Dan apologetically. "Dan… how do you spell Phoebe again?" She asked.   
  
"P… h…. o…. e… b…. e…" Dan said, sighing inwardly. He was beginning to wonder if he could cope with looking after Piper, who at the moment seemed to have the mental abilities of a four-year-old. He tried to reassure himself that this was part of the disease and not just some trick of hers to put him in an awkward position.  
  
***  
  
It had almost been two hours since Piper had started writing to Phoebe, and the kitchen table was now littered with scrunched up pieces of paper. Dan's tolerance level for Piper's constant spelling questions was quickly dissolving. He had been forced to make a flash card for Phoebe's name, along with the word "thank you", for she was constantly forgetting how to spell these.   
  
"Dan… how do you spell charmed?" Piper asked, more confidently now, as yet oblivious to Dan's growing impatience and annoyance.  
  
"C-H-A-R-M-E-D!" He yelled, grabbing the piece of paper that Piper had been writing on, along with her pen and scribbling it in big letters over the page. "CAN'T YOU REMEMBER ANYTHING… A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G!" he said, picking up some of the scrunched pieces of paper and hurling them at Piper. Her bottom lip starting to tremble violently, Piper burst into floods of tears, dashing out of the kitchen door, avoiding Dan's outstretched and apologetic arms. Her eyes were so misted up with her tears that Piper tripped in the hallway, sprawling across the floor. Picking herself up, her sobs intensifying, Piper flung open the door and hurled herself onto the street into the rain, the large, cold drops mingling with her already tear-soaked face.   



	11. brain damage chapter 11

  
"Piper, Dan, I'm home!" Prue called, letting her self in the front door. Getting no response, she frowned. "Piper… Dan" She called, louder this time. Her frown deepened when she still got no answer. Walking around the house, calling their names, Prue ended up in the kitchen, where she found the table littered with scrunched up pieces of paper. Checking the fridge for a note but finding none, she leaned back against the kitchen bench, puzzled.  
  
"Hey Prue, guess what… there was a fight and so I didn't have to go to my next class!! Cool, eh? Although it'll just mean more catch up work…umm where's Piper?" Phoebe said as she bounced enthusiastically into the kitchen.   
  
"I don't know, I've searched the whole house" Prue said, the worry clearly evident in her voice.   
  
"Well maybe they went for a walk" Phoebe suggested, going over to the table and peering, confused, at the scrunched up pieces of paper.  
  
"In the rain?" Prue questioned skeptically  
  
"Well maybe they went over to Dan's house, or to a movie or…" Phoebe broke off as she picked up one of the pieces of paper on the table then staggered as she was gripped by a premonition. Images flashed before her - Dan becoming angry at Piper, throwing pieces of paper at her, then Piper running out of the house and Dan storming out a few minutes later. She saw Dan heading for his house…not looking for Piper.   
  
Once the premonition ended, Phoebe ran for the door, grabbing the keys to Piper's jeep on the way. "Phoebe, where are you going? What did you see?" Prue said as she ran after her sister.   
  
"I'll explain on the way" Phoebe called.   
  
§§§§  
  
Hours had passed since they had first started looking for Piper. They had checked everywhere - P3, Golden Gate Park, Quake, Phoebe's university, buckland's and any place that would be familiar to Piper, even some places that she would only have seen in hospital magazines. Stopping everyone they saw, they asked whether anyone had seen someone who matched Piper's description. They had also knocked on the door of every house in the street, asking people if they had seen Piper. They had also phoned Dan, only to be greeted by his answering machine. Contacting the police, they had attempted to explain Piper's condition to various police officers, but with no success. They seemed to have no perception of Piper's serious illness or what it involved, and they told the distraught Prue and Phoebe to call back if Piper did not appear in 4 hours.  
  
Finally the sisters drove home, sopping wet from the rain, dejected and worried sick. "I'm going to see if Dan's home" Prue said, hopping out of the car once they were in the drive and heading over to his house.   
  
"I'll call the police again, maybe I can get Darryl" Phoebe called after her, also getting out of the car and heading towards the manor.   
  
Prue knocked on Dan's door loudly. After a few seconds she heard footsteps and the sound of the door being unlocked. The door then opened to reveal Dan, who was leaning heavily on the doorframe, a beer can in one hand.   
  
"Where's Piper" She demanded, her eyes glittering with anger "We have been trying to call you, but you haven't answered!"   
  
"I don't know…. She went for a walk, she needed her own space… she will be back soon, stress less" His words were slurred and it was clear that he was drunk.  
  
"SHE WONT BE BACK SOON DAN!" Prue yelled "SHE DOES NOT EVEN KNOW WHERE PRESCOTT STREET IS, WE'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR HER IN A 50 MILE RADIUS" Prue continued, getting increasingly enraged   
  
"Sure she does, take a chill pill Prue" Dan said. At this, Prue whirled around and used her powers to slam the door in Dan's face, storming off to the house. She had no desire to waste her energy on low-life Dan when she could be off finding her sister.   
  
Prue entered the door just in time to see Phoebe hanging up the phone, a dejected look on her face. "What did the police say?" She asked, knowing that the news could not possibly be good judging by the expression on her sister's face.  
  
"Well it turns out that Darryl is away, and we have to call them if she doesn't turn up in 48 hours from now" Phoebe said, her voice braking as she burst into tears.   
  
"Hey sweetie, don't cry" Prue said, walking over and pulling Phoebe into a hug. Her eyes beginning to fill with tears as well.   
  
Their moment of closeness was interrupted by a knock at the door and both sisters rushed over, hoping desperately that it would be Piper. Phoebe reached the door before Prue, flinging it open and gasping as she saw Leo on the doorstep, a soaking Piper in his arms.   
  
to be continued 


	12. Brain Damage 12

….Shocked, Prue and Phoebe stood stock-still for a second before Prue recovered slightly and turned her attention towards the soaking Piper. "Leo" Prue instructed, "Take Piper to the bathroom, Phoebe get some blankets for her." Phoebe and Leo did as instructed, Prue following Leo to the bathroom.  
  
Once they are in the bathroom, Leo gently sets Piper down on a chair "Leo, could you go and get something for Piper to wear" Prue said, starting to help Piper remove her soaking wet clothes. Leo complied and hurried out of the room.   
  
"Just want write note" Piper mumbled, beginning to cry again  
  
"Shh honey, its Ok, you can write it later." Prue said, wrapping a towel around her sister and drying her off gently.  
  
"Got the blankets" Phoebe said, running into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, setting the blankets down on the table.   
  
"Thanks Pheebs" Prue said, taking one of them and wrapping it around Piper. Opening her mouth, Piper started to speak but was interrupted when there was a knock on the bathroom door.  
  
Phoebe walked to the door and opened it, but only slightly. "Thanks" She said as Leo handed her some dry clothes for Piper.  
  
"I'll be downstairs", Leo said, and Phoebe nodded, closing the door again and turning to face Prue who was helping Piper put a jumper on. After Prue had finished with the jumper, Phoebe grabbed a pair of baggy soft pants and helped Piper to get them on, whilst Prue towel dried Piper's hair.  
  
"S…sorry Phoebe" Piper said softly once she was dry and clothed and wrapped in a warm blanket.  
  
"For what?" Phoebe asked, pulling Piper into her arms   
  
"F…for not writing the letter" Piper said  
  
"Piper, you can write that any time, don't worry" Phoebe said, "Now lets get you to bed - you've had a really big day and you must be tired"   
  
Piper nodded silently, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. Using her powers, Prue lifted Piper up and carried her down the hallway to her bedroom. Setting Piper down on the bed and folding back the sheets, Prue and Phoebe tucked her in gently. Piper fell asleep in a matter of moments. Once she is asleep Prue and Phoebe headed down the stairs to where Leo was sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently, a deep frown imprinted on his face. Seeing them enter the room, he jumped up quickly.  
  
"How is she?" Leo asked, his voice full of concern  
  
"She's fine, sleeping now" Phoebe said  
  
"Leo, I don't know how to thank you for finding her" Prue said   
  
"Yeah, we were so scared." Phoebe said, "Where and how did you find her anyway?" she asked after a moments thought.   
  
"I found her a few blocks down in an alleyway hiding behind a dumpster… I was orbing in to her location as a surprise for her…I haven't seen her for so long that I wanted to make it a surprise. I have been on a job so I had no idea…"Leo explained, faltering "Oh yeah I sensed she was alone before I did that" he added quickly, when he noticed Prue frowning at him.   
  
There was a moment of silence.  
  
"So where have you been?" Prue asked "We haven't seen you in months" Attempting to make conversation.   
  
"I have been on an assignment, very top secret white lighter stuff" He explained "What's wrong with Piper?" He asked after another few more moments of silence.   
  
"You don't know?" the sisters said in unison, astonished. Leo just shook his head, and then waited for the sisters to elaborate.   
  
As briefly as they could, Prue and Phoebe explained Piper's condition to Leo, who did not interrupt, though it was clear that he was very upset.  
  
"Why didn't they tell me?" Leo thought out loud once the sisters had finished telling him about Piper's condition. There was yet another moment of awkward silence, Prue and Phoebe unsure of what to say to Leo. Finally, Leo broke the silence "You two should get some rest, it's been a stressful day for you guys as well" he said comfortingly.  
  
"Yeah, I guess your right." Prue said, nodding. Phoebe just yawned  
  
"See you tomorrow?" Phoebe asked, both sisters standing up.   
  
"Yes" Leo confirmed "Now go to bed. It's been a long day." He said   
  
"Night Leo" Prue and Phoebe called as they headed up the stairs.   
  
Once the sisters has reached the top of the stairs, Leo orbed out, a determined frown on his face, intending to face the elders.   
  
  
tbc pweeze leave feedback... pweeze :):)   



	13. Brain Damage 13

§§§  
  
"Why wont you let me heal her?" Leo asked, his voice full of anger, standing and facing the elders.  
  
"Leo! Be silent! We have already explained this to you. Her illness is not demon related, so you cannot be permitted to heal her." One of the elders replied.   
  
"I don't think you understand" Leo said, trying to keep calm "Piper has encephalitis. She has seizures… well she hasn't had one for a while but…you must know that she deserves to be healed!"  
  
"That's still no reason for us to heal her" Another of the elders cut in.   
  
"Just hear me out!" Leo almost yelled "She also has a speaking problem, some of her words come out the wrong way and sentences get a bit mixed up" One of the elders opened his mouth to speak, but Leo held up his hand, silencing him. "She has reverted to a childlike state, and she forgets things… big things! Like exactly where she lives, how to do up her shoelaces, where the bathroom is…" Leo trailed off, looking for any reaction on the part of the elders. "She cant function as a charmed one" He finished up, a grim look on his face.   
  
The elders turned away from Leo, and began to talk quietly. After what seemed like an eternity, the elders turned back to Leo, and the despairing white-lighter searched their faces for any idea of what they might say. He found nothing, only passive expressions on unearthly faces.  
  
"Leo, we have come to the conclusion that you can heal Piper" Leo started backward, shocked at this unexpected verdict, and looked questioningly at the elders before breathing an immense sigh of relief.   
  
"But" Yet another elder cut in, before Leo had a chance to speak, "This is only because of the extreme circumstances that you brought to our attention. This will never happen again…under any circumstances, apart from demon-related injury, will Piper be cured a second time. Do we make ourselves clear?" Leo nodded vigorously in agreement, before orbing out.  
  
§§§  
  
Prue was carrying Kit to the front door when she spotted the familiar blue lights that usually accompanied Leo's orbing entrance to the Halliwell household.   
  
"Hi Leo" She said once the whitelighter had fully materialised.  
  
"Hi Prue, how's Piper" He asked, concern evident in his voice   
  
"Um she's ok I guess…for…you know. She's just been chasing Kit. I don't think she remembers what happened yesterday." She responded, as she placed Kit outside. "You want to see her?" Prue asked.   
  
Leo just nodded in response.  
  
"Okay then" Prue said, walking into the family room, Leo following close behind her.   
  
Piper is sitting with Phoebe on the couch, talking. Piper quickly spotted Leo, who was following closely behind "Leo!" She said happily, a big smile forming on her face.  
  
"Hey Piper." Leo said warmly, coming around the front of the sofa, and bending down in front of Piper, placing his hands on her temples.  
  
"What you doin?" Piper asked, a confused look on her face  
  
"Making you well again" Leo responded, a look of concentration on his face  
  
"But I am we…" Piper trailed off as Leo's hands started to glow. Prue and Phoebe just watch, open-mouthed.   
  
Once Leo's hands stop glowing Piper blinks rapidly, a frown forming on her face. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can her Prue and Phoebe dive onto Piper, pulling her into a group hug, both of them laughing, happy to have their sister back again.   
  
Sorry it took so long :(:( Please tell me what u think :) 


	14. Brain Damage 14: final Chapter

§§§  
  
Dear Diary   
  
Its barely been a two days since Piper got… well… back to normal. Thanks to Leo! All she can remember is having a real bad headache and me and Phoebe spoon feeding her, oh yeah and Dan coming to visit once. Dan - I could STRANGLE him right now! When he found out about Piper's "miracle" recovery, he went back to the phoney and so totally pathetic "I'm so sorry" act. Piper dumped him. I am so proud of her.   
  
Well Leo has been his normal sweet self and has given us sister time. Pheebs and me are so glad to have her back. It is weird - we both keep forgetting that she is well again! Last night at dinner Piper didn't start straight away and Phoebe was on autopilot and started cutting up her meat and beans! You should have seen the look on Pipers face! It was so funny…and relieving! But wasn't just Pheebs that did it… Piper was writing a letter to try and get her license back and she was saying it out loud, and she paused after the word California, and I started spelling it for her…she thinks we are totally nuts! But I don't care…we have her back and that's all that matters.  
  
Well we're definitely all adjusting to Piper being better again… even Piper. She is finding all these things that she has missed out on while she was sick… its really getting her down.   
  
Everything is going to be fine. Piper is better, she has dumped Dan, and Leo is back. Whoever said that there are no happy endings in real life definitely wasn't a Charmed One!  
  
Prue   
  
  
§§§  
  
"Piper, if you ever do that again to me, I… I, well I don't know what I would do. You just scared me so much." Phoebe said, pulling her older sister into a hug.   
  
"Don't worry Pheebs, I don't plan on getting sick anytime soon" Piper said, hugging her sister reassuringly.  
  
"That's good, cause I don't think we could afford another of those medical bills" Prue said as she entered the room, joining in the hug. They all remained in silence for a while, relaxed, knowing that, even if it was only for a little while, things were going to be all right.  
  
"So" Phoebe said, breaking the silence. "Now that Dan's out of your life, are you going to be dating our whitelighter again?"   
  
"Hmmm" Piper said, frowning mischievously.   
  
Distracted for a moment from thoughts of Leo, Piper spied Kit walking into the room and winding herself around a table leg in the corner of the room. "Kit, I haven't seen you for ages!" Piper exclaimed, breaking the hug walking over to the cat and bending to pick her up.  
  
"Piper!!" Prue and Phoebe yelled in unison   
  
END  
  



End file.
